1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solvent composition for dissolving plastic.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluorine-based and chlorine-based solvent compositions have been widely used as solvent compositions for dissolving plastic. In recent years, however, the influence that fluorine-based solvents and chlorine-based solvents have on the environment has been largely perceived as an environmental problem, and regulations regarding use of such solvents are becoming stricter every year. Under such circumstances, in recent years, solvents that use bromohydrocarbon compounds, such as isopropyl bromide (referred to as “IPB” below) and n-propyl bromide (referred to as “NPB” below), as main ingredients have been proposed as a new type of solvent composition that serve as an alternative to fluorine-based and/or chlorine-based solvent compositions.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 8-337795 (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-85268) discloses a cleaning solvent that uses 1-bromopropane as a main ingredient and to which nitromethane and the like is added as a stabilizer. Japanese Patent No. 2576933 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 6-220494) discloses a cleaning solvent that uses IPB or NPB as a main ingredient, but does not include any fluorine-based or chlorine-based solvent, and to which at least one type of compound selected from a group consisting of nitroalkanes and the like is added as a stabilizer.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 9-302389 (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-121634) discloses a cleaning solvent that uses IPB and/or NPB as a main ingredient and to which nitroalkane and butylene oxide are added as stabilizers.
However, these cleaning solvents that use IPB and/or NPB as a main ingredient do not have the ability to dissolve various kinds of plastics such as polyester resin, acrylic resin, and phenolic resin. For this reason, such cleaning solvents could not be used as an alternative to chlorine-based solvents such as methylene chloride that have been used for dissolving plastics. Therefore, for the purpose of dissolving plastic, chlorine-based solvents such as methylene chloride have to be used within the amount restricted by regulations.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 11-172290 (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-341644) discloses a solvent having an organic solvent blended to IPB or NPB and having the ability to dissolve plastic. However, since the solvent includes an organic solvent, there exist such problems as that the solvent has slight flammability and that the solvent might cause environmental problems.
Therefore, a solvent for dissolving plastic that uses IPB or NPB, which has slight or no influence on the environment, as a main ingredient, that has a great ability to dissolve various kinds of plastics, and that has no flammability has been long desired.